Rubber composition and pneumatic tire

Abstract

Provided are: a rubber composition that improves fuel economy and wet grip performance together while maintaining the balance between them; and a pneumatic tire whose component (in particular tread) includes the rubber composition. The invention relates to a rubber composition containing: a rubber component containing a copolymer; silica; and a diene rubber gel bearing a hydroxyl group, wherein the copolymer is obtained by copolymerization of 1,3-butadiene, styrene, and a compound represented by formula (I) below, has an amino group at a first chain end and a functional group containing at least one atom selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, and silicon at a second chain end, and has a weight average molecular weight of 1.0×10 5 -2.5×10 6 , and the diene rubber gel has a Tg of −40 to −10° C., and is present in an amount of 10-30 parts by mass per 100 parts by mass of the rubber component;

1 . A rubber composition, comprising:
 a rubber component comprising a copolymer;   silica; and   a diene rubber gel bearing a hydroxyl group,   wherein the copolymer is obtained by copolymerization of 1,3-butadiene, styrene, and a compound represented by formula (I) below, has an amino group at a first chain end and a functional group containing at least one atom selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, and silicon at a second chain end, and has a weight average molecular weight of 1.0×10 5  to 2.5×10 6 , and   the diene rubber gel has a glass transition temperature of −40 to −10° C., and is present in an amount of 10 to 30 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component;   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 1  represents a C1 to C10 hydrocarbon group. 
     
     
         2 . The rubber composition according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the functional group is an alkoxysilyl group.   
     
     
         3 . The rubber composition according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the functional group is a combination of an alkoxysilyl group and an amino group.   
     
     
         4 . The rubber composition according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the amino group at the first chain end is an alkylamino group or a group represented by the following formula (II):   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 11  represents a divalent C2 to C50 hydrocarbon group optionally containing at least one of nitrogen and oxygen atoms. 
     
     
         5 . The rubber composition according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the group represented by the formula (II) is a group represented by the following formula (III):   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 12  to R 19 , which may be the same or different, each represent a hydrogen atom or a C1 to C5 hydrocarbon group optionally containing at least one of nitrogen and oxygen atoms. 
     
     
         6 . The rubber composition according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the copolymer has, in addition to the amino group, an isoprene unit at the first chain end.   
     
     
         7 . The rubber composition according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the copolymer comprises 0.05 to 35% by mass of the compound represented by the formula (I).   
     
     
         8 . The rubber composition according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the copolymer is obtained by copolymerizing 1,3-butadiene, styrene, and the compound represented by the formula (I) using a compound containing a lithium atom and an amino group as a polymerization initiator, and modifying a polymerizing end of the resulting copolymer with a modifier containing a functional group containing at least one atom selected from the group consisting of nitrogen, oxygen, and silicon.   
     
     
         9 . The rubber composition according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein the modifier is a compound represented by the following formula (IV), (V), or (VI):   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 21 , R 22 , and R 23 , which may be the same or different, each represent an alkyl, alkoxy, silyloxy, carboxyl, or mercapto group, or a derivative of any of these groups; R 24  and R 25 , which may be the same or different, each represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group; and n represents an integer; 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 26 , R 27 , and R 28 , which may be the same or different, each represent an alkyl, alkoxy, silyloxy, carboxyl, or mercapto group, or a derivative of any of these groups; R 29  represents a cyclic ether group; and p and q each represent an integer; 
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 30  to R 33 , which may be the same or different, each represent an alkyl, alkoxy, silyloxy, carboxyl, or mercapto group, or a derivative of any of these groups. 
     
     
         10 . The rubber composition according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein the polymerization initiator contains an alkylamino group or a group represented by the following formula (II):   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 11  represents a divalent C2 to C50 hydrocarbon group optionally containing at least one of nitrogen and oxygen atoms. 
     
     
         11 . The rubber composition according to  claim 10 ,
 wherein the group represented by the formula (II) is a group represented by the following formula (III):   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 12  to R 19 , which may be the same or different, each represent a hydrogen atom or a C1 to C5 hydrocarbon group optionally containing at least one of nitrogen and oxygen atoms. 
     
     
         12 . The rubber composition according to  claim 8 ,
 wherein the polymerization initiator comprises an isoprene unit.   
     
     
         13 . The rubber composition according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the diene rubber gel has an average particle size of 10 to 100 nm, and a hydroxyl value of 10 to 60.   
     
     
         14 . The rubber composition according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the rubber component comprises the copolymer in an amount of not less than 5% by mass based on 100% by mass of the rubber component.   
     
     
         15 . The rubber composition according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the rubber composition comprises the silica in an amount of 5 to 150 parts by mass relative to 100 parts by mass of the rubber component.   
     
     
         16 . The rubber composition according to  claim 1 , which is for use as a rubber composition for a tire tread. 
     
     
         17 . A pneumatic tire, formed from the rubber composition according to  claim 1 . 
     
     
         18 . The rubber composition according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the amino group at the first chain end is an alkylamino group or a group represented by the following formula (II):   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 11  represents a divalent C2 to C50 hydrocarbon group optionally containing at least one of nitrogen and oxygen atoms. 
     
     
         19 . The rubber composition according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the amino group at the first chain end is an alkylamino group or a group represented by the following formula (II):   
       
         
           
           
               
               
           
         
       
       wherein R 11  represents a divalent C2 to C50 hydrocarbon group optionally containing at least one of nitrogen and oxygen atoms. 
     
     
         20 . The rubber composition according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the copolymer has, in addition to the amino group, an isoprene unit at the first chain end.